Episode 11 Money for Nothing

You haven't got anything I can recycle, have you?

How do you make money for nothing?

Wow, look at that!

The answer could be hiding in over 20 million tonnes of household waste

thrown out by us every year.

Well, don't get rid of it too quickly - this stuff looks amazing.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her hands on things

before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate maker,

buyer and user of old stuff, and I've turned that passion

into a moneymaking business.

I make new stuff out of old stuff, and I sell it for a profit.

And with some of the country's elite designers and makers...

Don't know what to say!

Did you drag it here behind the truck?

..she can transform her finds into desirable...

It's enormous!

..valuable...

Isn't that fantastic?

..and, hopefully, saleable items.

It's just given me goose bumps.

If Sarah is successful,

then she can hand the profits back to the very people who had no idea

there was cash to be made from their trash.

Thank you very much! Marvellous.

Today Sarah's at the Whitley Recycling Centre in Surrey.

She's on the hunt, and she knows what she wants.

Well, I'm not keen on all the garden waste,

but I am thinking I'm going to get some jewellery, some fabric,

and maybe even an armchair.

I'm game on to find it!

The name of the game is to find three items that can be redesigned,

rejuvenated, and sold on for a profit.

Are you going for the big clear-out?

To do this, Sarah got special permission to be here,

so don't think about trying it yourself

or they'll call in the rozzers!

Well, we've got the police, we've got the camera,

all we need now is the action!

And, action!

Hello, hello, hello. What's all this in Barbara's boot?

What IS all this in Barbara's boot?

-Hello, hello.

-Hi.

That looks beaut... Oh, is it suede?

-Yes.

-Isn't it lovely?

What are you doing with that?

35 years on top of the wardrobe.

-Really? And today's the day you've just had enough?

-Yeah.

Where did you get it?

-Gomshall Tanneries closed down and had a sale.

-Right.

But I never had it made up.

What were you going for, a full-length leather gown, or?

I've got two daughters and I thought pink for one, yellow for the other.

-Of course, this is going back to...year dot.

-Yeah.

A mini suit or something each for them.

How old are they now? 40s.

And they certainly wouldn't wear that!

Well, do you know something, everything comes back into fashion.

-It does.

-I'm sure a mini suit would be fantastic.

-If I could take them away?

-I would love you to, yes.

Fantastic. Well, I have no idea what we'll end up doing with those,

-but I shall do my best to do you justice.

-I'm sure you'll find something.

They're fantastic! Thanks ever so much.

-Really good to meet you.

-Lovely.

-I'm loving those, thank you.

-Thank you.

Sarah's got herself some swanky suede.

I have no idea what a mini suit is.

Any other thoughts, Barbara?

Thinking about it, I would think it would be clothing, that type of thing.

I would like to see something perhaps really modern.

Yeah.

It's certainly going to be modern in those colours!

Hello! Look at that lot!

A whole bag full of beautiful suede.

These are individual hides,

and I think each one of these is a whole... probably sheep's hide.

And they've been tanned, so they're the beautiful soft suede.

This is a luxury item and I think it's got huge potential to make

something really beautiful - and more than a few quid.

And Sarah knows just the man to take it on.

If your sofa is starting to sag, then go and visit Neil Wragg.

Neil creates handmade,

one-of-a-kind designer bags from unwanted and unloved materials.

It may have fallen out of fashion,

but if he can get a needle through it, he'll work wonders.

Some of the bags I make could be described as eccentric,

because I would keep some of the former character from the fabrics.

So if somebody's given me a leather jacket that they can't wear any more,

I might keep a part of the jacket in the new bag.

I wouldn't say the bags are weird,

but they've certainly got their own eccentric personality in every single one of them.

I love making stuff that's not only upcycled from something that's unwanted,

but it's something that's going to last another lifetime.

These are bags that have a second life.

Well, Neil, you might have your work cut out breathing new life

into these kitsch colours.

That's one item down, two to go.

And, you know what, I think Sarah deserves to be recognised

for her tireless work with rubbish.

So I award you, Sarah Moore, with this bit of junk.

Would you like to say a few words?

Well, I'm absolutely made up. Heartfelt thanks for this.

I've never had a rubbish award before and, honestly,

I'm slightly overwhelmed.

Thank you.

OK, get off now.

And if you're not rushing off to the after show party,

I have a feeling you might go gaga over what David is throwing away.

Although I hope you're not expecting it to still play a tune.

-So this wasn't yours, then?

-This was my aunt's.

-OK.

My aunt is 91, and she lost her husband a year ago.

-I'm sorry to hear that.

-And she's now moved into a care home.

-Right.

And so we're clearing the house,

in which they've lived for over 50 years.

-If you like vintage stuff, you love things like this.

-Absolutely, yes.

There's that classic styling, all that retro look,

you know, the gold and the swirls.

I'd say late '50s, I'm thinking, with that kind of typography on it.

-It could well be.

-Yeah.

Rather than putting it into the small electrical appliances tip,

if I could take it away and try and do something with it?

I'd be more than happy for you to take it away and do something with it.

-If you can recycle this, give it a new life, that's good.

-Yeah.

-Well, I'm going to give it my best shot.

-It will need a new cable!

-I think you're right!

Well, that's brilliant. Thank you so much for letting me have it.

-And if I can make it work, I'll be back in touch!

-Jolly good.

-Thank you so much. Have a good day.

-Pleasure.

-Bye-bye.

Jolly good to you, too, David.

But do you think Sarah can do much with it?

The shell of it is very smart.

And I think even as an ornament, it would be worth keeping.

Well, I just love it when an old radio like this rocks up at the tip.

It might be obsolete and I certainly wouldn't want to plug it in,

but I think it's got bags of style,

and in the hands of the right designer I think it's going to really make some money.

Well, let's find out whose hands Sarah will be passing it to.

This is Mark Phillips, but everyone calls him Horse.

Horse was chief engineer for a world-renowned audio recording company for over a decade.

He's now taken his love for restoring vintage sound equipment

and made it into a business.

The thing that I'm most passionate about is kind of

giving new life to old equipment,

especially stuff that people were about to throw away.

A lot of this old equipment just looks gorgeous, aside from anything,

and so if I can do something with it that makes it functional,

makes it sound as good as it looks, then I'm satisfied.

Well, Horse, you're saying all the right things,

but you haven't seen the nick of this old thing!

That's two items saved.

Just one more to complete the set.

Whatever Sarah finds next, she'll be working on herself.

Roll up, roll up, bring me your rubbish!

I think she's getting desperate.

Perhaps Graham will have something to Sarah's liking

in the back of his boot.

-Hi, there.

-Hi.

-They look interesting.

-Old mic stands.

Been rusting away in the garage for a while.

-Are they yours?

-Yeah.

-Go on, then, do you sing?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-But not using these ones any more!

What do you sing, then?

I'm in a band, we mainly do sort of folk rock stuff.

Fantastic. They look hefty, can I try?

-They're nice and solid.

-So when did you last use them?

Oh, probably 10 or 15 years ago.

Right. Is this the big garage clear-out, then?

It is. We're moving house, so, yeah.

And there's more rubbish in there than we thought there was!

Do you know something, when little things like this turn up,

that's all I need to see - they look like they might polish up,

they look like they might have some potential.

-Can I have them?

-You're welcome to them.

-They're only going in the skip.

-Fantastic. Thanks so much.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

A trip to the tip won't be the swansong for these old microphone stands.

But how will Sarah make them sing again?

I imagine it's going to involve some sort of welding.

So, I don't know, maybe a lamp stand or something like that.

But it will be interesting to see.

Graham thinks lighting.

Are you singing off the same song sheet, Sarah?

Well, I think it's probably going to be lighting, but...

Who knows?

Whatever it is, I reckon these are a right find.

Music to my ears.

And with that, Sarah has her three items.

Neil will rustle up something with the candy-coloured suede.

Horse will rock out with the radio.

And Sarah will rock out with the mic stands.

Too much rocking!

Well, I've had a top time at the tip.

All I've got to do is turn that hunk of junk into a splash of cash!

For Sarah's first stop,

she's travelled to the lovely town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire.

Around 30 miles outside of London,

it's perfect for city types who want a short commute to work.

It might take you a bit longer on one of those things, though.

Better call the office and tell them you'll be late.

Sarah's brought along the bundle of luminous leather.

Perhaps bagman Neil will have some bright ideas of what to do with it?

Sarah's on her way, she's mentioned that I might need my sunglasses for

this, so it sounds very intriguing.

What a relief.

I'm finally turning up at an artisan's with some beautiful,

luxury product, fresh from the tip.

I just hope Neil Wragg likes the colour.

Mmm. We'll wait and see.

Well, this is bright!

It's bright, but it's beautiful.

-This is... Great. This is... Different.

-What do you think?

-Well, it's very summery.

-Beachy, I was thinking.

It is. Yeah, perfect.

I can make several mankinis out of this, couldn't I!

That would work!

What's worrying is I think you might mean that!

You wait!

Have you got any ideas?

I think we could make some really big slouchy bags with it.

This is something bigger and more casual.

I think bigger.

Let's go bigger. Keep going, keep going.

I think bigger, slouchy, luxury. I'm thinking Marbella.

I've got gold sandals on with little wings,

-and I've got this thing tucked over my shoulder.

-We're going big.

So you're stepping off the yacht and this is over your shoulder?

That's it. It would be good to use as much as possible.

-The two colours go well together, I think.

-Yeah.

So let's put them together. We'll just use it all.

Even for the straps and the handles.

So, creating that luxury, it's going to come at a price tag.

What are you thinking? Per bag?

I think the price is all in the quality of this fabric.

It's not going to take much to make.

Say we said £50 per bag, to you.

-And maybe we can get two or three bags from it.

-I love it!

Total legend.

He's a legend, all right.

But can he make those colours commercial?

Because all I'm seeing is rhubarb custard.

Well, that suede is going to be turned into something

bright, beautiful, and useful.

And if they don't all sell at a profit, I'll eat my bag!

I'm so going to remind you you said that!

It's £50 each for the bags.

If Neil can knock up a few of them,

there could be a real profit to be made.

For Sarah's next stop, she's travelled north to Manchester.

And waiting with bated beard is our titan of technology, Horse.

Sarah's bringing Horse the old '50s radio because...

Well, he likes that kind of thing.

Sarah knows the sort of stuff that I like working on,

so I'm fairly confident that whatever she brings

is going to be something that I'm going to enjoy.

It's normally something right up my street.

Horse, it's literally up your street.

Well, if a retro radio like this ever rocks up at the tip,

I know just where to bring it.

I've got music guru Horse lined up to see if he can make it sing again.

-Hi, Horse.

-Hiya.

-How are you doing?

-Yeah, good, thanks.

-What do you reckon?

-Oh, it's lovely.

Have you ever seen one of those before? You worked on one at all?

Not that model, no.

I thought the styling on it was really quite strong.

But I've never heard of Murphy. Do you know anything about them?

You do see them pop up on auction sites all the time.

They were a very popular radio in their day.

It's certainly not a rare one.

So we can cut it up and do what we like with it?

-Exactly, yeah, pretty much.

-Always good news.

Definitely do something with it.

You'd still be able to use it as a radio?

The trouble with trying to do anything different with these

is to make it equivalent to a digital radio is quite difficult,

because there's nowhere to put a display or whatever.

So what I tend to try and do is if you just make it a Bluetooth speaker,

then, I mean, I can get the digital radio from my phone into that,

but I can also get sort of, you know, music into it, whatever.

So it kind of makes it more versatile

and it means you don't need to have all the controls on it, you know?

That sounds like a great idea because, basically,

most people stream everything through phones.

-If you've got it coming out of there and you've got good sound quality...

-Exactly.

-..that's all you need, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Any idea about the money if you have to really put some new stuff in there?

I don't know. I mean, it's difficult without seeing what state the

speaker's in and things.

But, I mean, you know, probably about £150, I think.

I reckon that that is a good figure for transforming that.

Because people who have retro homes want to see more than a black box

-on the side, don't they?

-Yeah.

-So I think that's great.

-150 quid, ballpark figure. Brilliant.

-Thank you.

Can't wait to hear it! It's going to sound great!

Brilliant! A Bluetooth speaker.

But for that price, we'll be expecting a luxury product.

And by the looks of that case, it's a long way off from being luxury.

It's dirty, but it's lovely.

It'll be a new challenge

because I've never worked on one of these before.

Yeah, I'll enjoy it, I think.

Well, I think we're definitely on to a winner with Horse there.

If we can get that retro styling and that modern functionality into that

little radio, then it's going to sound sweet!

It'll be £150 to transform the transistor.

I can't wait to see how it looks.

Stay tuned.

We're leaving Manchester

and heading to the rock and roll capital of the South East - Sussex.

Where Sarah has been mulling over what to do

with the pair of rusty mic stands.

Although she did say it was going to be lighting,

but you never know.

Nah, it's probably going to be lighting.

I reckon these are going to lend themselves to making

a pair of really cool floor standing lights.

Shocker.

But at the moment they're really rusty.

I haven't got a complete plan for what kind of bulbs and shades to use

but I think start getting them cleaned up,

and see how it goes from there.

I love it when Sarah doesn't have a plan.

Sarah starts to clean up by grabbing a handful of wire wool

she keeps in a big bundle.

I'm hoping a bit of wire wool will clean off this surface rust,

and I'll be left with a lovely shiny pair of mic stands.

Chrome really comes up really well, particularly older stuff.

Chrome plating, like what we have on these mic stands,

was developed in the 1920s.

It's another day I don't have to go to the gym!

The process involves adding a thin layer of chromium

to a metal or plastic.

It has greater corrosion resistance than most other metals

and increases the durability of the surface.

JOINTS SQUEAK

Ah, but it is a bit squeaky.

Well, that's pretty much all of the surface rust off there.

If you want to get a really good shine,

anything that you use for polishing the car bumper will do for this.

I think that's...looking quite good.

JOINTS SQUEAK

Would you please put some oil on that!

Sarah has to work out just how the stands work

before she can make a plan.

I think this one's got a design fault.

It's supposed to stay up like that.

And she's struggling.

Oh!

Hmm. Must be missing something.

I'm guessing you were never in a band, Sarah.

I was.

They used to say I had the voice of an angel.

A gruff angel.

These lights are going to be,

They're going to be... Well...

I don't know!

This is all very encouraging(!)

Ooh!

Looks like she's nailed it.

I know, clothes rail! That would be a lot easier wouldn't it?

Or maybe not!

I'd better concentrate on the lighting, it sells for more.

With the mic stands upright at least,

Sarah moves on to the lighting.

And she's had an idea.

Because LED bulbs don't have any heat implications any more,

you can use things like these plastic bottles to make lampshades.

Basically, I'm going to cut the bottom off

and then I'm going to cut the bottle into strips,

and I'm going to use the strips to weave some string around

to make a lampshade.

No? You don't understand?

This will definitely be a prototype.

Sarah starts to cut... Oh, no, she doesn't.

Scissors aren't going to work.

It will have to be a knife.

I have absolutely no idea what this is going to look like.

Well, here we go.

That.

I'm beginning to get the idea that the strips, they're really strong,

and I'm hoping if I mould around something, I'm going to be able to

get a really sculptural, lovely looking lampshade.

But it's going to take so much work.

It will be worth it.

If you say so.

Hmm.

So far Sarah hasn't spent a penny.

Can you tell?!

But if this light idea pays off, it could pay out.

Back we go to Marlow,

where Neil is sketching out ideas for his big bright beach bags.

I'm just deciding on the design and size of the bag.

There isn't anything spare,

I don't have reels of this fabric in order to experiment with.

So we've got to make the cut and get it right first time.

As there is no room for error,

Neil's first making a prototype out of paper.

If I know what the panel shapes need to be on paper,

then I can just make it bigger.

Neil's joining his bag together with staples

and sticky back plastic.

This is more Blue Peter than Money For Nothing at the moment!

MUSIC: Blue Peter Theme

And here's one he made earlier!

So that's what our bag's going to look like folded up,

and then open it out, and there we've got...

your pink and yellow suede candy beach bag.

You've made a takeaway bag, Neil.

The width of that being 21...

To work out the new dimensions to cut the suede,

Neil's trying to recall everything he learnt in geometry class.

So what's 15 over 21?

But it's been more than a few years since school.

OK, so, right...

You know when they say, "Measure twice, cut once",

well, I've measured 154 times.

Haven't made any cuts yet.

Well, there's no time like the present.

I'm just layering them up, so I'll cut them all at the same time.

So they'll be, at the very least, the same shape and size.

If they're the wrong shape and size, at least they're all in it together.

Well, that's encouraging.

Instead of cutting with scissors, Neil's using a rotary cutter.

So that's the first cut.

As leather is a natural skin, it doesn't fray at the edges

so can be left exposed without the need to hem.

It does mean, though, that the cuts have to be clean, crisp and precise.

That looks good to me, but were all of Neil's calculations correct?

Now, if I've cut them right, these triangles fit.

It's the moment of truth.

Big bouncy beach bags, or back to the drawing board?

Three of them fit together.

Oh, no! Is that going to match up?

Keep going!

Phew, it fits.

# Hallelujah! #

So now we have the start of our Battenberg cake.

What do you think - fancy a slice?

I'm more of a cheesecake man myself.

Neil's using pegs to join the sections of the bag together,

as pins would leave permanent holes in the leather.

So all we need to do is stitch,

and that's the body of the bag all completed.

What we're looking at next is pockets and handles.

There's just about enough material in the offcuts

for Neil to cut sections for the pockets and straps.

And this is the tricky part.

Leather is notoriously difficult to sew.

One wrong stitch and it's a disaster.

Are you feeling the pressure, Neil?

Sorry! I'll zip it.

And back we go to Manchester,

where techno geek Horse has been champing at the bit

to get started on that beaten up radio.

Right, so the first thing to do with this is to...

Just have a look what we've got inside, because I haven't actually taken the back off yet.

Horse starts to take the radio apart.

The hope is that it'll be reborn as a multi-functioning Bluetooth speaker.

I'm going to put a Bluetooth module in,

which is the part that receives the Bluetooth signal.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology used for exchanging data over short distances

via radio waves.

I've used a few of them lately and they actually do sound quite good.

In this case, music can be sent from a device

and it will come out the radio.

Interesting.

So we'll take these valves out.

These can only really be used in radios, as they've got a different valve base.

And they also run at a different heat of voltage,

-so in a valve you've got the elements...

-CALMING MUSIC FADES IN

Do you know when Horse talks about electronics,

I find it kind of soothing.

..because of the nature of the circuit, that's done in a different way...

I find it's very comforting somehow.

..normally you'd go through a transformer, and that at least buffers you...

Transformers, valves - you name it, he knows his stuff.

..directly off the mains, which is never a good thing.

It's all fairly easy stuff to do.

Easy for you, Horse.

Well, what about something not so easy?

I mean, the biggest worry in this case is the case.

It actually looks like there's a few quite deep scratches.

They're going to be difficult to get off,

so I might have a quick test to see if I can actually get them off.

Because some of them are pretty deep.

To remove the scratches, Horse is first trying a mild abrasive

which will take off a thin layer of the Bakelite around the scratch.

If they're really deep, then you sometimes have to grind them down

with different size wet and dry paper.

Bakelite was an early form of plastic,

popular for making radios and telephones in the early 20th century.

I think I'm going to need to grind the rest of it down a bit.

They're a bit too deep for that stuff.

With the abrasive not up to the task, Horse moves to plan B -

wet and dry sandpaper.

So I've gone from using that polish,

which is a mild abrasive, to basically using sandpaper.

Easy does it Horse - don't go too deep.

Potentially that's just made a massive scratch in it.

Uh-oh!

So, Horse, how bad is it?

Right, so that's actually gotten rid of the scratch.

Good man!

Hopefully, with a lot of elbow grease, that's going to...

That's going to come up like new, or near enough.

Confident that the rest of the scratches will turn out just as nicely,

horse moves on to getting that big tangle of wires working.

Wait, what happened there?

Horse, you're making the telly go weird!

Right, I'm off - this is too technical for me.

I'll leave it to the experts.

While Horse tinkers away, we head back to Sussex

to see how Sarah is getting along with her lighting.

The mic stands are polished and buffed,

all the electrics are sorted,

and, oh, yes - the plastic bottle lampshade.

That looks...nice.

Well, there was method in my madness.

I thought this would make a fantastic shade, look at this.

Once these are all cut up and spread out,

you get this really beautiful shape

that could be woven into a lampshade.

I started on my prototype here to do some weaving.

But actually the result is home-made, rather than handmade,

and definitely not crisp, beautiful lighting.

I want it to look expensive.

So I've got another plan.

Wait for it, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

These old stands were covered in rust and ready to bite the dust,

but now...look at that!

I'm actually surprised - they look great!

Sarah's new plan has really paid off.

She's added to vintage lampshades from a car-boot sale,

and the old-fashioned looking electric flex goes great

with the buffed-up shiny chrome stands.

To make the lights,

Sarah bought plugs and electrical components found online

or in lighting stores.

A qualified electrician put it all together.

If you plan to try your hand at lighting,

it must be issued with a PAT test certificate to meet UK safety standards - just like these.

Well, they might not be very rock and roll any more,

but these mic stands definitely can go back into centrestage.

They're simple, they're elegant,

and I think they're going to turn a profit.

Well, let's find out.

There's a whole boot full over here.

When Sarah met Graham at the tip, his car was chock-a-block.

Is this the big garage clear-out, then?

It is, we're moving house, so, yeah.

And there's more rubbish in there than we thought there was.

But it was the mic stands she had her eye on.

-Do you sing?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-But not using these ones any more.

With the stands up for grabs, Sarah whisked them away,

leaving Graham pondering their fate.

Maybe a lamp stand or something like that. It'll be interesting to see.

You were bang on, Graham.

After a bit of trial and error, out popped two lovely lamps.

Sarah advertised the lamps with her regular client base,

and do you know what? They sold.

To a lighting shop in Cornwall.

Owner Nick is delighted with them.

They're a lovely simple idea. I love the upcycling.

Nice old vintage-y shades.

I could see us selling them on quite easily.

Sarah's travelled to Ferndown in Dorset to see Graham,

to show him the transformation and hand over some cash.

-Hi, there.

-Hi.

-Graham, how are you?

-I'm good. How are you?

-Yeah, really well. Nice to see you again.

-And you.

Now, you were busy clearing out mic stands?

Mic stands, clearing the garage out, yeah.

Where had they come from, then?

So I've been in a band, or different bands over the years quite a bit,

and they were just some really old ones that had been rusting away

in the garage and had seen better days as mic stands anyway.

They had, but I was really pleased to see them.

-Did you wonder what might happen to them?

-Yeah.

Maybe lamp stand or something like that?

I thought you might say that, and that's exactly what happened.

I've actually got some pictures here to show you

of your mic stands turned into lights.

Wow.

-What do you reckon?

-Great, aren't they?

-You can still recognise that they are...

-You can and that's what's quite nice about it, actually.

..are your mic stands.

I just fitted some twisted, lovely old-style flex to them,

bought a couple of enamel lampshades.

So what do you think of those?

Fantastic. And I love the fact they still look like mic stands.

They have been sold to a lighting shop down in Cornwall,

-so I'm really pleased to say I've got some profit here for you.

-Wow!

In fact, I have £136.02 for you.

Who would have thought it?! Thank you very much.

I always ask, what might you do with that money?

We used to support a charity in Godalming, it's our home town,

called Skillway, so I'll give it to them.

That sounds like a great use of the money.

-Really good to catch up, thank you for the mic stands and your time today.

-Thank you.

-Lovely to catch up. Bye-bye.

-Bye.

For the new lampshades and all the wiring, Sarah spent £113.98.

And with the sale of £250 for the pair,

Graham has £136.02

to donate to a vocational training charity for youngsters.

That's our first item making a tasty bit of profit.

Sarah's back in Marlow

to see if Neil's big Battenberg bags are just as sweet.

I think the beach bags turned out well.

They're really bright, they're really big.

They just say, "Sunshine!"

Not as much as that shirt(!)

Well, it was really quite odd that that suede turned up at the tip -

particularly in those really bright colours.

I'm sure Neil has made something fabulous out of them,

but are they going to turn a profit?

Making this lot commercial was a bit of a stab in the dark, but now...

They will have their place in the sun.

Neil has expertly crafted three bonkers beach bags

and I have to admit the colours do go together.

I guess two wrongs do make a right.

Neil has added black leather straps for a touch of class,

and the white zips and stitching make these a fabulous feast for the eyes.

They wouldn't suit me, but I'm sure someone will love them.

-Here's summer.

-Oh!

Cool. They are fantastic.

What have you done to it?

We've just got a big beach bag.

We've got a ma-hoosive bright sun bag of sunshine.

Just to confirm, that word was "ma-hoosive".

They look beautiful. So how does the design work?

-So we've got one open.

-Yeah.

Two open.

Look at that.

Fantastic. They're beautiful.

It was a simple, straightforward piece of sewing.

It was the measuring, the cutting out.

I even had to get a protractor out to make sure that we had the angles.

It was all about the angles.

So you can thank Pythagoras for most of these bags,

but it was a simple exercise in terms of sewing again.

So, beautiful beach bags.

Hit me with the figures.

Well, it was a straightforward project once the design was in the bag,

so it's come in on budget.

Brilliant. Well, I think I shall take those away to a beach near me

and get those sold. I love them. You are a gem.

He is indeed - but now comes the hard part.

You've got to find someone to buy them.

These are fantastic.

They're beach-ready, they look like a Battenberg,

and I hope they're going to sell like hot cakes.

Well, let's find out.

-Hello, hello.

-Hi.

When Sarah met Barbara at the tip, she couldn't miss her dusty suede.

-35 years on top of the wardrobe.

-Really?

Barbara had planned to make something for her daughters.

A mini suit or something each for them.

But was happy for Sarah to have a go instead.

I would like to see something perhaps really modern.

Yeah.

Yeah.

With Neil's steady hand,

he produced three massive, slouchy sun sacks.

And, what's more, Sarah managed to find a buyer.

Luxury lingerie and designer swimwear specialists

Amazing Grace, in Haslemere, loved Neil's work.

And owner Emma couldn't wait to get her hands on them.

Look at this. Big family beach bag here.

You can get the whole family's towels and swimwear,

your books and sunglasses in there,

So, yes, very excited about my purchase.

Emma loved them all right,

but did she love them enough to buy all three?

It's time to find out.

Sarah's... Hold on, wait a minute.

Let's rewind for a sec.

I think I remember a certain promise being made back at the start.

And if they don't all sell at a profit, I'll eat my bag.

I knew it. Carry on.

Sarah's in Thursley, in Surrey, to show Barbara what happened to her leather,

and prepare to eat some bag.

Hello, Sarah. Nice to see you. Come in out the rain.

-It's miserable out there, isn't it?

-It' horrible, very.

-You've got friends here?

-Very much so, I'm afraid.

We are very animal orientated.

-I said I'd come and find you if there was something to be done with your suede.

-Right, yeah.

-Have you wondered what happened to it?

-Yes, I have.

I'm not sure what you do with it.

Whether it would be high-class handbags or...

Clothes or...

There wasn't enough to do furniture, so, I don't know.

Well, you are definitely on the right track.

It was handbags that we decided to make from it.

Took it to a guy in Marlow, in Buckinghamshire,

and he specialises in using recycled material.

I've got some pictures here to show you how it ended up, so here it is in its new state.

-This is how your suede ended up.

-Wow!

He used as much of it is possible to make three enormous beach bags.

-Do you approve?

-Very much. Yeah, very much so.

Better than being on top of the wardrobe for years.

I have managed to sell it with some profit, so I've got a little bit of money had to hand over to you.

In fact, I have got £75 here.

-Oh, that's brilliant.

-For you, for your suede.

-Oh, thank you!

What do you think you might do with it? Any ideas?

I've got an 18-year-old granddaughter

that's always after clothes, so that'll probably go to her.

Yeah, and my grandson, as well.

It was really great to catch up. Thank you so much.

Especially for your time today and at the recycling centre.

-Lovely. Thank you very much.

-I hope you find a good home for that.

-I will! That's for sure.

-OK, bye-bye.

-Bye.

Yes, she managed to sell all three, so there'll be no bag eating today.

Shame, I was looking forward to that.

All three bags came to a total of £150.

And after selling all 35 for £225,

Barbara has £75 to treat the grandchildren.

That's two items producing profits.

Let's see if we can make it three.

Sarah's back in Manchester to check in on Horse,

and look - he's had a haircut!

Doesn't he look smart?

Let's hope the old radio looks just as good.

I'm really looking forward to showing Sarah

and I think it's worked out really well.

I don't doubt it for a second.

I'm here in Manchester to pick up my retro radio

from thoroughbred music man, Horse.

Now, if he's hit the right frequency,

it could be fantastic. But if not, I'm going to be at rock bottom.

Well, it's time to face the music.

Before, the old radio was scuffed and silent but now...

It's singing a different tune!

Horse has masterfully restored it back to its former glory.

All the scratches and scuffs have been sanded and buffed,

creating a shine like you wouldn't believe.

He's fitted a Bluetooth receiver,

new speakers and all the wiring complies with UK safety regulations.

It certainly looks a million dollars, but how does it sound?

-Horse?

-Hello.

-Hi, how are you doing?

-Yeah, good, thanks.

It looks all shiny!

Horse, it looks amazing.

Scratches came out all right.

I don't know how you've managed it but the condition, it looks mint, doesn't it?

What have you managed to get into it? What does it sound like?

Well, I've got my phone here to try it with.

You don't need to connect it with a wire because it's Bluetooth.

-Brilliant.

-So let's have a listen.

SWING MUSIC

Well, Horse, you've done it again.

Go on, Sarah, give him a twirl.

I think it probably sounds better than it ever has.

150 quid budget. Anywhere near that?

Yeah, I managed to do it on budget.

That is fantastic, Horse.

I can't believe how beautifully you've done it,

so I can take it away.

Horse, you are a wizard, and not just because of the beard.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you, bye-bye.

I think that's going to make a penny or two.

Just how cool does this look? It's an excellent transformation.

He has really made it look fantastic

and people are going to pay top dollar for that.

-This wasn't yours, then?

-This was my aunt's.

When Sarah met David at the tip,

it was his aunt's radio that caught her eye.

We're clearing the house in which they've lived for over 50 years.

The radio had seen better days.

-I'm going to give it my best shot.

-It will need a new cable.

I think you're right!

But David did see the potential.

Even as an ornament, it would be worth keeping.

Well, David, with the help of Horse, it became so much more.

In fact it was so nice, Sarah had no bother selling it.

Online vintage and retro furniture shop, Smithers of Stamford, snapped it up.

And for owner Nick it's a real winner.

I'm dying to get it on and get it cranked up.

Sarah's travelled to Goring-by-Sea in Sussex

to show David the new-look radio and hand over the profit.

-Hello, Sarah.

-Hi, David. Lovely to see you again.

Beautiful here. Now when I last saw you at the recycling centre,

it was miles from here. What were you doing all the way up there?

Well, unfortunately,

my uncle died and we were having to clear the house in order to sell it.

I looked at the radio that you were dropping off.

Do you remember your uncle having it or listening to it?

I do indeed, but that was a long time ago

and I think recent years it's just laid in the loft, I think.

Well, I've got some pictures to show you of it.

It has had a beautiful refurbishment.

Have a look how it looks now. It's been really polished up.

It's got Bluetooth in it,

is got fantastic sound quality and it now looks amazing.

-It does, it looks beautiful!

-It's definitely got a new lease of life,

and, in fact, it's been bought by somebody who specialises in retailing that kind of stuff.

In fact, bought at a profit, which I've got here for you.

I can't believe it!

I have £120 here for the radio.

I really can't believe that.

That's incredible. Thank you so much.

What might you do without money?

Well, I had already decided if there was to be any kind of return on it,

for it to go to Macmillan nurses.

They did so much for my uncle that that's the least I could do.

Well, I think that's so generous.

Thank you so much for letting us have the radio

and what a lovely thing to do with that money. Lovely to see you.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye, now.

Oh, I love a happy ending.

Horse came in on budget at £150

and with a stonking sale of £270,

it means David has £120 to donate to charity.

Love it.

Sarah's searching has really paid off.

Items that deserve to be preserved

have been brought back into fashion...

..made bang up-to-date...

..and beautiful.

Well, Neil and Horse did a fantastic job

transforming those rough diamonds into items that really shine.

What an amazing result all round.